The collected date of 338 cases of inguinal hernia in children under the age of fifteen years who were operated at the Department of Surgery, Chonbuk National University Hospital during the period of 12 years from January, 1979 to December, 1990
have
been analysed on various clinical aspects.
The male to female ratio was 3.76 : 1. The inguinal hernia was discovered at the age between 1 to 6 years in 47.6% and 52.7% was admitted for operation at the age between 1 to 6 years. In 54.2%, the operation was conducted within 1 year after
discovering the hernia, but was delayed for over 6 months in 62.4%. The type of hernia was indirect in all of the cases and the incidence of the right hernia was 1.9 times higher than the left one. Reducible inguinal or scrotal mass was observed
in
all
of the atients with uncomplicated hernia(91.4%) and the irreducible one was in all the cases of complicated, incarcerated or strangulated, hernia(8.6%). Other findings, i.e. irritability, nausea and/or vomiting, fever over 3.7.5℃, and tenderness
in
inguinal or lower abdominal area were seen in complicated hernia only. the complicated hernia was developed most frequently in the age between 1 to 2 years(44.9%), and was 3.7 times more on right side than on left one. Among the complicated
hernia(8.6%), incarcerated hernia was in 7.7%, and strangulated hernia in 0.9%. the success rate of manual reduction in incarcerated hernia was 57.7%. the associated disease was found in 8.6%, and they were hydrocele(5.9%), cryptorchidism (1.2%)
and
others, 92.3% of all hernias were repaired by high suture ligation of the sac and Bassini operation was done in remaining 7.7%. The additional operation was conducted simulaneously in 19.8% and they were circumcision(8.6%), hydrocelectomy(5.9%),
orchidopexy (1.2%), segmental ileal resection(1.2%) and others. On simultaneously conducted contralateral inguinal exploration, preformed hernial sac was found in 4(80.0%) of five male patients with left inguinal hernia shown silk-glowe sign on
physical
examination of right inguinal area. Contralateral hernia was developed subsequently in 5.0% at average 1.2 years after unilateral hernia repair, and all of them were male except one. Incidece of subsequently developed contralateral hernia after
left
hernia repair was 2.4 times higher than after right hernia repair, and average time interval between operation and contalateral development of hernia after left hernia repair was shorter than after right hernia repair. Incidence of bilateral
hernia
was
10.3% including the cases who had preformed sac on contralateral exploration(1.2%) and developed contralateral hernia after unilateral hernia repair(5.0%). Intraperitoneal organ in hernial sac was noted in 21.6%, and they were small bowel(10.4%),
omentum(8.6%) and others. The postoperative complications were developed in 1.5%, and they were wound infection(0.9%), wound evisceration(0.3%) and leakage of small bowel anastomosis(0.3%). All of them were developed in the cases of complicated
hernia
except one. The mortality was absent. The mean duration of postoperative hospitalization was 2.9 days.
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